Despite the excitement generated among the British hard left by the election of Jeremy Corbyn to lead the Labour Party, trade union influence has over the past two decades been on the wane throughout most of the Western world. And as in most of the developing world, it has not fared at all well in […]
national development plan
Posted inBusiness, General
ILO mistakenly assumes that its old ANC pal is pragmatic
Voters elect politicians on the basis of their proclaimed ideology. However, it is not ideology that drives government effectiveness. Rather it is how ideology is adapted to resolving real-life problems. This week’s report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a reminder to what extent, despite all evidence to the contrary, African National Congress (ANC) […]
Posted inGeneral
Futurphobia: South Africa has a bigger problem than xenophobia
Am I the only person who is tired of hearing about South Africa’s problems? One cannot have a meal these days without hearing about our “highest crime rate in the world” or our “highest Gini coefficient” or some other statistical badge which we wear with despair. This latest spate of violence is shocking. There’s no […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Labour-intensive growth strategies key to reduce unemployment
It is generally accepted that unemployment at current levels of about 25% (using the narrow rate) is the most critical and pressing of our socio-economic challenges as it directly impacts how successfully we can reduce poverty and inequality. The problem assumes crisis proportions if we consider that the broader unemployment rate sits at about 43% […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
SA needs low-wage, labour-intensive growth strategy to boost economy
Faced with an economy that has been in decline for more than a decade and given the slowing demand from our trading partners, the State of the Nation address should have pointed in an emphatic way, to a radical and fundamental policy shift in strategies that are aimed at economic regeneration and the way we […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Can the NDP be anything more than a fuzzy dream?
For South Africa the triple structural challenges of poverty and high unemployment (25% of the workforce is without work, using the narrow definition) and racial inequality will continue to define our socio-economic profile for the foreseeable future unless we make a radical shift in our growth strategy and trajectory. The reality we must face and […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
ANC must quit the alliance
For many people the last 20 years was a period of lost opportunities characterised by mediocre progress on the economic front and unmet promises. On the contrary, the ANC claims that there is a good story to tell. For the owners of capital, it has indeed been a period of unprecedented growth in their wealth […]
Posted inBusiness
Can the new administration inspire investor confidence?
The latest gross domestic product numbers have confirmed that our economy is experiencing very serious strains and the ongoing platinum miners’ strike is a major contributor to the negative trend. At the heart of the problem is the uncomfortable reality that the majority of the unemployed are unskilled and yet we are progressively moving towards […]
Posted inNews/Politics
We need a national development plan for the soul
By Russel Botman Close on 20 years after South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy through a negotiated political settlement, our country finds itself at a crossroads again. Progress in many areas has been commendable, but in others the pace of change has been far too slow. And in some areas things have actually deteriorated. […]
Posted inGeneral
South Africa as a democratic developmental state: Bureaucratically not there yet
By Elnari Potgieter As part of the 2011 State of the Nation address, President Zuma claimed, “Our goal is clear. We want to have a country…where the quality of life is high.” His statement ties in with the South African government’s vision of constructing South Africa as a developmental state, which frames the agenda for […]
Posted inNews/Politics
An inoculation against cynicism and despair
The newspaper billboard bellowed in temple-pounding capitals: “TOP COP FAILS LIE TEST”. The nation yawned. Only had he passed would it be news. Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel has just unveiled the National Development Plan (NDP). One of the objectives is that by 2030 South Africans will no longer live in fear of […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Manuel’s ‘new’ development plan?
National planning commission chairperson Trevor Manuel recently released the much-anticipated national development plan aimed principally at tackling the structural economic problems of high unemployment and pervasive poverty. This is not our first attempt at formulating strategies to deal with these challenges. Many other growth strategies have been published since 1994 with similar fanfare. The latest […]